This invention relates to sugar free low calorie powdered beverage mixes artificially sweetened with the dipeptide, "Aspartame".
Aspartame (L-asparatyl--L-phenylalanine) is a white crystalline powder having a sweetness lever in powdered beverage mixes of 180 times that of sucrose. Its taste is very nearly identical with sucrose and unlike saccharin, there is no bitter aftertaste. However there are problems with its use in powdered beverage mixes. Aspartame is exceedingly slow to dissolve in cold water as compared with sucrose. When mixes in which Aspartame is simply blended are reconstituted in cold water, the dipeptide tends to form a white floating and unpleasant looking scum on the surface of the drink. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A novel formulation and method of processing for artificially sweetened, sugar free powdered beverage mixes containing "Aspartame" has been found which reconstitute in cold water as rapidly as their sugar containing counterparts and which do not leave a floating white scum on the surface of the drink. These improved compositions contain all the ingredients except the sugar of their sugar containing counterparts plus the "Aspartame" and plus hydrolized cereal solids such as dextrins. The improvement in the rate of solution of the powdered beverage mix is obtained by a novel process whereby all ingredients other than the color are premixed until all ingredients are uniformly distributed. The color dissolved in water is then sprayed into the mixer as the ingredients are being blended. Just enough water is added so as to eliminate the need for subsequent drying and still have a free flowing stable powder. A uniformly colored, uniform in composition and quick dissolving powdered drink mix is obtained which on reconstitution does not leave a floating scum and which is equivalent to its sugar containing counterpart in sweetness and overall consumer acceptance. This unique result is accomplished because each granulate of the dipeptide becomes coated with a layer consisting of all the fast dissolving water soluble ingredients in the beverage mix. These ingredients are present at a level of at least 10 parts by weight to one part by weight of Aspartame.